A bill currently being considered by the Florida House of Representatives seeks to hide the identities of animal researchers engaged in controversial animal research projects. Several universities in Florida have been aggressively lobbying the state government to pass this bill. Many of the researchers whose identities the bill seeks to protect are involved in research on non-human primates such as apes and chimpanzees. Medical research on non-human primates is currently illegal in many other countries, including those the European Union. This bill seeks to block the public from effectively scrutinizing the controversial and often inhumane practices engaged in by researchers at these universities. We must speak out against this bill in order to preserve public transparency into these inhumane animal research practices.

The University of Florida contributed much of the language included in the bill. It seeks to protect its researchers from public scrutiny into potentially abusive animal research projects. According to the animal rights group Eleventh Hour for Animals, these researchers are guilty of “apparent egregious and repeated violations of the Animal Welfare Act related to nonhuman primates being warehoused inside the University of Florida.”

One anonymous primate researcher has stated, “I’m extremely concerned about being able to do primate research on this campus.” If this researcher is so concerned about the public having knowledge of his activities, he should reconsider the ethics of conducting the research at all. The bill being considered by the Florida House of Representatives would make it easier for unethical primate research to continue in secret.

It is bad enough that public institutions such as the University of Florida are allowed to continue conducting inhumane research on non-human primates. The bill currently under consideration seeks to allow this type of research to continue in secret, without public transparency. Please sign this petition and tell the Florida House of Representatives that the public deserves full knowledge of controversial animal research conducted at public institutions.

PETITION LETTER:

Dear Florida Congressmen:

I am writing to encourage you to reject the bill you are currently considering, which seeks to hide the identities of researchers conducting controversial animal research at public universities. It is very important that this type of research is completely transparent, so that the public has the ability to scrutinize potentially unethical treatment of animals.

There have been many cases of animal abuse and mistreatment in animal research conducted at public universities in the past. Without full transparency, violations of animal welfare during research are far more likely to occur. The bill you are currently considering would be doing a disservice to the public by allowing potentially unethical research programs to remain secretive. I urge you to reject this bill.

Sincerely,

[Your Name Here]

Photo credit: Skamnelis via Wikimedia Commons

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3 Comments

Edward , scientists work by sharing and publishing their data. It is not done in secret. The reason this bill is needed in Florida is that those you appear to support threaten and intimidate researchers and their childre– often at this homes at night. Same reason so many other states have similar bills. Can you possibly believe what you wrote. In peace, Raj

It’s pretty shocking how Ag-Gag laws and hiding the identity or vivisecters is so shamelessly acceptable!

A video of a cow being sexually abused in an Idaho farm comes out then Gov Otter passes an Ag-Gag law. (is it because he like to do those same things too?). Horrible information like girl monkeys with untreated endometriosis, broken bones, pics of horrific torture, and federal complaints come out and now UF vivisecters want to hide their names because of what?? Animal rights people?? What I can’t understand is how politicians listen to this crap! These sadists love to throw their names around when its time to publish, how is this law even rational? They can post that very info on one website, but AR people can’t copy it and post it to another site? This isn’t a law, its UF going shopping and finding some FL politicians on sale.